How Liquid Cooling Is Changing the Future of Data Center Construction

In our digital world, everything from streaming a movie and scrolling social media to checking your email or talking with a chatbot relies on data centers—and more importantly, the servers they house that store, process, and transmit the data behind the scenes. As these servers become more powerful, especially with the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, they generate a lot more heat. And just like your laptop or phone can get warm, servers need to stay cool to work properly.

Traditionally, data centers have used air cooling, relying on fans and HVAC systems to push cool air over hot equipment. But now, there’s a better way—liquid cooling.

At HITT, we’re already ahead of the curve, working with clients and partners to put this technology into practice on select data center construction projects, helping them stay in front of rising demand and prepare for the future.

You’ve probably heard the term liquid cooling, but why is it such a big deal? Especially now?

What Is Liquid Cooling?
Liquid cooling uses specially designed systems to move liquid directly over or around computer components, absorbing heat much more efficiently than air.

In a liquid cooling system, the process works as a closed loop. Coolant, often called technical water because it must meet strict standards to protect sensitive IT equipment, is stored in a chiller or cooling tower, then pumped through insulated pipes directly to the servers. Inside the servers, the coolant flows through these pipes over cold plates attached to the processing chips, drawing heat away from the processors and other critical hardware.

Once the coolant absorbs the heat, it exits the servers and passes through a coolant distribution unit (CDU), which transfers the heat to a facility water loop. This design keeps the technical water isolated, reducing costs and maintenance, since only a small, contained volume of liquid must be kept to the strictest specifications. From there, the excess heat is carried through the facility water loop to a chilled water plant, where it’s ultimately released into the air. The cooled technical water is then recirculated back to the servers, completing the loop.

Think of it like this: if you’re trying to cool a hot mug of coffee, it’ll cool down faster sitting in a bowl of cold water than if you just blow on it. It’s a basic principle—liquid is better at removing heat than air.

“Liquids conduct heat up to 1,000 times more efficiently than air, meaning liquid cooling can whisk heat away from servers almost instantly compared to traditional air systems,” shared Vice President and Dallas Office Leader Chris Jewell.

Below, Project Executive Rav Dhaliwal on our Santa Clara team shows how liquid cooling works.

The Benefits of Liquid Cooling
From a data center construction standpoint, liquid cooling opens up a whole new world of possibilities. It lets us build denser server environments, reduce overall energy usage, and even scale data centers in ways that weren’t possible before.

For clients, this technology isn’t just about cooling—it’s about staying competitive. Liquid cooling enables the high-performance computing needed for AI workloads, cloud services, and tomorrow’s tech—today. By providing a consistent, cold temperature directly to the chip, clients can stack more servers per rack, overclock their graphics processing units (GPU), and push their hardware to higher limits. Benefits include:

• Higher Efficiency: Liquid cooling pulls heat away faster and more directly, which means less energy is needed to keep servers cool. Data centers using liquid cooling often have lower energy bills and a better environmental footprint.
  
• Supports More Powerful Tech: AI, 3D modeling, and advanced simulations need massive computing power—and that means more heat. Liquid cooling allows data centers to pack more processing power into smaller spaces without overheating.
  
• Smaller, Quieter Spaces: Since fans and large air ducts aren’t as necessary, liquid-cooled systems are often quieter and more compact. This opens the door to placing data centers in non-traditional buildings with the right supporting infrastructure.

“Liquid cooling enables higher rack densities—up to 160kW per rack compared to 10kW per rack with air cooling—and unlocks performance levels that air cooling just can’t handle. That’s the difference between cooling a sedan engine and a Formula 1 engine,” says Project Executive Matt Zebell with our Dallas office.

Retrofitting Existing Spaces
Liquid cooling doesn’t just benefit brand-new data centers. It’s also making it easier to retrofit older buildings, including ones that weren’t originally designed as data centers.

• In buildings where air conditioning or power capacity is limited, liquid cooling offers a path to build high-performance infrastructure without major HVAC upgrades.
  
• Liquid cooling equipment can be installed within server racks or in nearby mechanical rooms, keeping space usage efficient. This is especially valuable in urban areas, where real estate is expensive and power infrastructure may already be stressed.

Beyond Traditional Data Centers
With the right infrastructure, the flexibility of liquid cooling also means data centers don’t need the same footprint they once did. Because high-performance servers can operate at much higher densities, a whole data center’s worth of power can be concentrated into only a few rooms, significantly reducing the square footage needed for computing space. This opens up opportunities such as:

• Edge computing locations, like telecom buildings or shipping containers near cell towers, where compact, liquid-cooled systems can process data closer to users.
  
• Hot, humid, or rugged environments where air cooling often fails are now viable due to the efficiency of liquid systems and reduced power draw requirements.
  
• Historic buildings in city centers that could be retrofitted where infrastructure allows, preserving architecture while supporting modern tech.
  
• Offices and commercial buildings, which can host small-scale, high-performance computing hubs in designated rooms with the proper power and cooling setups, such as basements, closets, or other unused spaces.

The Future Is Liquid
As liquid cooling redefines what’s possible in data center performance, sustainability, and design flexibility, HITT and our partners can push the boundaries of energy efficiency and scalable infrastructure tailored for the demands of AI, high-performance computing, and cloud computing.

Liquid cooling is no longer a niche solution—it’s quickly becoming a mainstream, high-performance option for data center operators, building owners, and even cities looking to build smarter.

It’s enabling data centers to be more efficient, more powerful, and more flexible than ever before. Whether it’s powering the next generation of AI or helping reuse an old office building, liquid cooling is igniting progress toward a cooler (and greener) digital future.

See more of HITT’s mission critical data center work here.

Learn more about how HITT is igniting progress here.